Member Reviews
I've read books by Rona Halsall before and always loved them, and this was no exception. The first part I found really creepy with the food going missing and Eva thinking she's heard noises or seen faces at the window. I'm glad I wasn't alone at night when I read that part. The second part joins the dots and makes part one make sense. A really well written story with great twists and revelations. Would highly recommend.
I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.
Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.
However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x
A unique story line that had me looking for clues right to the end. Fast paced and well written, this was an easy 5 star read
A great read, gripping and thrilling from start to finish. I'm a huge fan of the author and this one didn't disappoint.
The Liar's Daughter Rona Halsall
This book is a really enjoyable read. At times I wanted to give Eva a good shake and shout at her to wake up!
Although I had a hard time with the “dementia” aspect in this book I did enjoy the plot and storyline. Eva was like able enough but I found her weak at times.
This is a good book for a rainy day and it’s worth the read.
Thanks for the ARC.
This book is one that most mystery books fans will really enjoy.
The plot had so many twists and turns I couldn’t put the book down
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery or thriller.
The Liar’s Daughter by Rona Halsall was a great read. Once started it was difficult to put down. The book is in three sections, Now and Then and by different characters which helped to fill in the backstory for me. Another great book by Rona.
What drew me to this book was straight up the intrigue in the title. Who is the liar and what happens to the daughter? So many questions run across your mind with just the title alone which already made this book an intrigue. Once I started this though, one thing became clear, I couldn't put this down. This book was an insatiable read with endless intrigue to understand the mystery.
This book was a book full of secrets, and deception. The first half started off slow , but the 2nd half was superb with all the twists happening. I couldnt put this book down and cant recommend it highly enough.
Eva is helping her stepmum look after her father who has dementia when she receives a call to say her sister has had an accident and is in hospital in Wales. The only thing is - she doesn’t have a sister or does she? Eva goes to the hospital and takes her sister Nancy home to a remote farmhouse.
She finds out 40 yr old Nancy ran away when their mother died and faked her death..
Strange things begin to happen there but for some reason Eva sticks around for more. Eva is a bit of a wimp and why she stayed I’ve no Idea.
Slow burning storyline. Speeds up in last half with some good twists and turns.
3 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.
This book has a gripping, dark and chilling plot. Joe McKee, a well respected member of the community, is dying of cancer. Heidi, his stepdaughter, finds herself having to look after him as well as her husband and young baby, we realise that Heidi hates him, Clara, his biological daughter, hasn’t spoken with him for a while and also hates him. He left her and her mother to go live with Heidi and her mum Natalie. When. Natalie dies Joe stays in their home to look after Heidi. Traumatised by her mother’s death Heidi wanted to live with her grandparents but as this wasn’t possible her life became unbearable. As Joe’s health worsens Heidi and Clara struggle to look after Joe but they are helped by Kathleen, Joe’s sister and Ciara’s mother. When Joe is unexpectedly found dead in his bed, they are all relieved. Just as the mourners gather for his funeral the police arrive to say that his death is suspicious and they are investigating. As the lies and deceits begin to unravel the finger starts to point at Heidi and Clara as they could have good reasons for killing him. Or was murder the only way to cover up the sinister secrets of Joe’s past. The book is mainly told from Heidi and Ciara’s perspectives and as all the past is revealed we realise why they have issues with each other and Joe. I found this book and powerful and absorbing read, highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
What a thrilling book!!! I have loved all of Ronas books so far so I knew I would enjoy this too!
Rona always gets your heart racing and on the edge of your seat. This book is fast paced, thought provoking and at times creepy. Its one of those books that likes to trick you. You think you know what's coming then bam!, you are hit with another twist that makes you second guess everything you thought you had figured out. I love a book that is unpredictable and keeps you guessing!
I highly recommend Ronas books and am excited for her next one!!
Really enjoyed this book, plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing throughout. Definitely worth reading
WoW this is the seventh book I have read by Rona and I have loved everyone of them and this new book
The Liar's Daughter by Rona Halsall did not disappoint it was brilliant and i was hooked right at the beginning. I loved it! and it had be gripped from the get go, tense as I read all the way through.
I will say this is the Best book so far I have read about so far by Rona.
I highly recommend all of Rona's books They are just an excellent read.
Big Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Previously known as The Missing Sister, this book is an intriguing mystery. From the beginning to the end, it’s all about solving and finding the truth.
Eva suddenly receives a call from a hospital claiming that her sister had been hospitalized. She obviously never knew she had a sister so it came as a shock to her. After asking her stepmother, she realizes it’s true. Her supposed sister left home after their mom died, and she had a disagreement with their dad who is now suffering from Alzheimers.
Eva becomes distraught and determined to find her sister. Much to her stepmother’s dismay, Eva travels to visit her sister. From there, the lies begin.
I love the cool vibes I got when Eva and her sister Nancy got back to Nancy’s home. It felt so surreal, the atmosphere, the wide range of fruits and vegetables grown there. And of course the lovely house by the side.
Eva and Nancy’s relationship started great until Eva began noticing strange things in the house and also in her sister’s behavior. I personally thought it was an intruder that had snuck in, or an old friend of Nancy’s.
I was shocked to discover the truth. It was totally not what I was thinking. From the new POV, everything changed. A new character brought a new perspective to the entire plot, changing it in ways I couldn’t imagine.
I love the suspense throughout the books, the flashbacks and the so accurate descriptions. The new character was one that showed how a person could make a mistake that could be disastrous and have many consequences. But we’re all human. And we make mistakes.
The important thing is to realise it and find a way forward.
I enjoyed reading the sisters bonding together after everything, and working on what to do next. A lot of questions were answered as well, and I think they all found closure at the end.
Much thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Rona Halsall for this ARC copy. I enjoyed reading it.
Linda, Eva's stepmom, receives a phone call that Eva's sister was involved in an accident. But there's one thing wrong here, Eva's an only child. Eva has put her life on hold to help look after her dad who has been diagnosed with dementia and his condition is getting worse. Eva doesn't have a clue what's going on but is certain that someone has been lying to her for her whole life, so she decides to travel to Wales to meet her sister Nancy, and look after her while she recuperates, and hopefully get some answers while she's there, but things are never that straightforward are they? What is the real truth??
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.
24-year-old Eva has returned home to help her stepmother care for her father who is suffering with dementia. Then the phone rings and Eva’s world is turned upside down. She has a sister, who she never knew about, and her parents presumed dead.
This was an intriguing, absorbing mystery that had me guessing. It started off a little slow, but it soon picked up and I was finding myself turning the pages to find out what happened next. I thought I’d guessed part of the ending/revelations, however I was beyond wrong and I was definitely there for it! The mystery about why Nancy left all those years ago was interesting. Not too hard to follow, but complex enough to not be boring. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give it away but it was an excellent representation of manipulative relationships, how vulnerable people are easier to manipulative, making them think there are no other options.
Nancy was an intriguing character. Mysterious and like she had a million secrets just lingering beneath the surface. You could never tell if she was lying or telling the truth and that’s what made her a brilliant, well-rounded character. I loved how the story shifted to reading about what happened after she left home. I loved been able to see and read about what happened through her own eyes rather than just been told.
The farmhouse was a fantastic setting. It had all the elements; creepy, isolated, strange. It was almost like it had its own personality. It drew me into the story.
Overall, a fantastic, well-developed story full of intrigue, complex characters and a brilliant ending. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author, for a chance to read this book for an honest review.
At first, having never read anything by this author before, for at least the first quarter of the story, I was really wondering where the “psychological thriller” elements come in as it appears like a well-written and gripping domestic drama, with a dysfunctional and destabilised family at the core, where I thought at worst there’s going to be some arguments over domestic issues as the two sisters are forced to live in close quarters, though of course you’ve always got the accident from the beginning of the story playing on your mind.
However, this book took me by complete surprise and got much darker! We are taken away from the present day to find out about the history of the situation, and brought back to the present day again. I love this use of dual/multiple timelines in books and Rona does this very well. By doing this, Rona is able to fully explore themes around deception, manipulation and coercive control.
This also allows for some unpredictable and shocking twists, though of course the first is quite early on in the book, and this definitely kept me hooked.
I loved the setting of the isolated farmhouse, as it really sets alight the vulnerability of the characters and provides a perfect setting for this book.
This was a fast-paced and original book that I would recommend to fans of authors such as Shalini Boland and Shari Lapena.
SUPER domestic thriller, great characterization with all their flaws, wrapping up to a satisfying finale. RECOMMEND & am looking forward to more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC in return for my honest review.